2022 Garden Plans

[Sneezyone]

4 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Thanks for the tip! I have never worked with bok choi. It sounds like I need to give it a whirl.

Yep. And Yod Fah (same family, different growing habit) is similar. It’s cut and come again.

[Faith-manor]

3 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

Yep. And Yod Fah (same family, different growing habit) is similar. It’s cut and come again.

Thanks. I will check into that too. I know Dd does some sort of stir fry thing with bok choi and beer family loves it. I have never tried, and supply is hit or miss in supermarkets here so it just hasn't been on my horizons so to speak. I have never heard of Yod Fah.

[fairfarmhand]

We need rain. It’s already so dry I’m having to water. Everything is so dusty!

[Faith-manor]

3 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

We need rain. It’s already so dry I’m having to water. Everything is so dusty!

We need it too. Not having a drought, but yet, not as much seasonal rain as normal. So it is very dusty. We had a fast downpours very hard, last night but it only lasted about twenty minutes. That just isn't enough. Thankfully the wind dropped a lot afterward, and the DNR is reporting that the wildfire in Montmorency and Cheboygan County is 60% contained. We have been very concerned about that.

[KungFuPanda]

6 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

We need rain. It’s already so dry I’m having to water. Everything is so dusty!

We’ve had so much rain that I’m struggling to get everything planted. I have clay soil, so it’s disastrous to mess with it too much when it’s wet, but it won’t stop raining long enough to dry out and let me get seeds in the ground!  

[Faith-manor]

1 minute ago, KungFuPanda said:

We’ve had so much rain that I’m struggling to get everything planted. I have clay soil, so it’s disastrous to mess with it too much when it’s wet, but it won’t stop raining long enough to dry out and let me get seeds in the ground!  

Oh ugh. Why can't the rain cooperate and just go where it is needed? Fickle rain!

[KungFuPanda]

1 minute ago, Faith-manor said:

Oh ugh. Why can't the rain cooperate and just go where it is needed? Fickle rain!

I know! I’d actually appreciate it if my seeds were already in but I’m having trouble getting a dry window for planting. 

[Faith-manor]

I need to confess that we have been getting eye rolls from the neighbors. We decided not to mow for a couple of weeks because we have young bumble and honey bees on the property. Dandelion nectar is really important to them when they are young so we didn't want to knock off the dandelion heads. All the "lawn people" are annoyed. Sigh. Oh well. I have apple trees that benefit from those pollinators, and when the milkweed pops up, I am leaving it for the butterflies. They will be unhappy again.

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by Faith-manor

[Sneezyone]

10 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I need to confess that we have been getting eye rolls from the neighbors. We decided not to mow for a couple of weeks because we have young humble and honey bees on the property. Dandelion nectar is really important to them when they are young so we didn't want to knock off the dandelion heads. All the "lawn people" are annoyed. Sigh. Oh well. I have apple trees that benefit from those pollinators, and when the milkweed pops up, I am leaving it for the butterflies. They will be unhappy again.

 

I’m really enjoying our new insect and wildlife guests. The turtles are spawning and digging up the yard and the spider mites are back with a vengeance (to destroy my tomatoes) but look what I found today!! Plus, my mushroom logs are ready to produce. 🥰

Edited May 15, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Faith-manor]

15 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

I’m really enjoying our new insect and wildlife guests. The turtles are spawning and digging up the yard and the spider mites are back with a vengeance (to destroy my tomatoes) but look what I found today!! Plus, my mushroom logs are ready to produce. 🥰

Sneezy, she is soooo beautiful! I love ducks. Their personalities are so fun.

[Sneezyone]

19 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Sneezy, she is soooo beautiful! I love ducks. Their personalities are so fun.

I’m enjoying them. They, like me and the geese that pass through, are VERY bold and direct. This one huffed at me when I got too close. That’s the only reason I knew she was there. The others freely wade in the puddles our spring rain storms create or dawdle, unbothered, when crossing the road. My across the street neighbors have a gorgeous manicured lawn but their littles keep their noses pressed to the windows everyday watching the goings on in my yard. I’ve half a mind to invite them over to see the nesting duck.

Edited May 15, 2022 by Sneezyone

[fairfarmhand]

59 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

We’ve had so much rain that I’m struggling to get everything planted. I have clay soil, so it’s disastrous to mess with it too much when it’s wet, but it won’t stop raining long enough to dry out and let me get seeds in the ground!  

 

57 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Oh ugh. Why can't the rain cooperate and just go where it is needed? Fickle rain!

It was like that here up till about 3 weeks ago. Finally I got my stuff in the ground and everything dried up!

[KungFuPanda]

54 minutes ago, fairfarmhand said:

 

It was like that here up till about 3 weeks ago. Finally I got my stuff in the ground and everything dried up!

I just raced outside to do a quick mow before the rain started again. I didn’t have time for full out gardening. 😩I woke too early today and NEEDED a nap. It looked like it would rain any minute. I didn’t know it would hold off for the grass to mostly dry. I’m sure the soil is too wet to dig anyway. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We’ve been fighting the rain also; that and the cool temps may have killed a lot of seeds before germination. I am debating replanting. We should have some warmer temperatures this week, so 🤞I see seedlings soon.

I have zero regrets about trenching my garden plot so far. I would have had higher potential yields had I stuck with my square foot plan, but I definitely needed the drainage that came with trenching.

Can any PNW people recommend a good nitrogen fixing overwintering crop? I have borage going in my dormant plant spaces now (bees love it!) but I want to buy ahead winter seeds. I need to keep working on my soil health.

[Melissa in Australia]

8 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We’ve been fighting the rain also; that and the cool temps may have killed a lot of seeds before germination. I am debating replanting. We should have some warmer temperatures this week, so 🤞I see seedlings soon.

I have zero regrets about trenching my garden plot so far. I would have had higher potential yields had I stuck with my square foot plan, but I definitely needed the drainage that came with trenching.

Can any PNW people recommend a good nitrogen fixing overwintering crop? I have borage going in my dormant plant spaces now (bees love it!) but I want to buy ahead winter seeds. I need to keep working on my soil health.

Broad beans? It is widely used in England for nitrogen fixi g in winter. Frost doesn't bother it, I believe it can withstand light snow It is also very bulky and makes great compost

Edited May 16, 2022 by Melissa in Australia

[Faith-manor]

I am currently trying to decide if I should do "the rain dance" or not. The farmers really need rain. Yesterday's fast downpour was not enough. We are in that 50% chance of rain deal so there is just no way to predict. The sky, before it became dark, did the "I think I will be cloudy with some rain clouds sporadically but not enough to give my minions any real indication of whether or not the king is going to grace them with precipitation or just tease them like the evil comic he is" routine. As a general rule under these conditions, if I go turn on the hose and water my garden, the evil precipitation king will immediately deluge my plants until they are utterly waterlogged, and believe that Kevin Costner's WaterWorld apocalypse is upon them taking them many, many days or even longer to begin to look lifelike again. I am happy with my little garden and my hanging pots of petunias and pansies. My basil plant looks like it is considering choosing to live which as a murderer of all things green makes me proud. Selfishly, I do not want to cause rainaggedon. But I am pretty certain that the farmers would really appreciate it if I would sacrifice my little babies for the greater good.

I hate having this power. 😀

[Rosie_0801]

13 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Thanks for the tip! I have never worked with bok choi. It sounds like I need to give it a whirl.

Kang kong aka water spinach is another quick and easy green to grow.

[Rosie_0801]

4 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

I need to confess that we have been getting eye rolls from the neighbors. We decided not to mow for a couple of weeks because we have young bumble and honey bees on the property. Dandelion nectar is really important to them when they are young so we didn't want to knock off the dandelion heads. All the "lawn people" are annoyed. Sigh. Oh well. I have apple trees that benefit from those pollinators, and when the milkweed pops up, I am leaving it for the butterflies. They will be unhappy again.

 

My neighbour grizzles at me because I don't mow the nature strip at all between fire seasons. He wants me to think *everyone* is bothered, but the only other people to have ever commented have been positive, so he'll just have to tough it out. This is the guy salting his yard because he's trying to create a desert garden in a place that is a bit more inclined to what he calls weeds and I call biodiversity. Bless him.

But even more, bless the little native bees that live in my catsears over summer. They are allowed on my (not)lawn. 😄

 

I bought a new bush tucker plant this week and am very excited about it! 

[Ottakee]

This weekend at church we had a video by a farmer talking about anxiety and he mentioned he couldn’t get in the fields as they were so wet.  Video was made Wednesday, by Friday he was in the fields.

today I went to plant my garden and it is so dry.   I have very sandy soil by my garden but many farmers just east of me and south of me have clay.

[fairfarmhand]

All the rain clouds went south of us. Boo. There’s another slight chance overnight. Reaaaaalllly hope it works out. 

[TechWife]

6 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

I need to confess that we have been getting eye rolls from the neighbors. We decided not to mow for a couple of weeks because we have young bumble and honey bees on the property. Dandelion nectar is really important to them when they are young so we didn't want to knock off the dandelion heads. All the "lawn people" are annoyed. Sigh. Oh well. I have apple trees that benefit from those pollinators, and when the milkweed pops up, I am leaving it for the butterflies. They will be unhappy again.

 

Tell them

youre participating in “No Mow May” to benefit the bees & other insects. It’s an initiative started on Great Britain that has begun to spread to the US. 
https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/what-is-no-mow-may

[Faith-manor]

6 hours ago, TechWife said:

Tell them

youre participating in “No Mow May” to benefit the bees & other insects. It’s an initiative started on Great Britain that has begun to spread to the US. 
https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/what-is-no-mow-may

Oh, I did. These are the kind of people who only care how things look, not about the environment, and have zero respect for ecological concerns. So I roll my eyes right back at them. The thing is, since we let the back part of the property go rather wild again and are careful these past few years about not mowing much in the spring, we get lots of pollinators. The annoyed people have even mentioned that when out walking they have seen the honeybees on our apple trees, butterflies flitting about, bumblebees on my flowers. They have mentioned, "I don't have any on my lawn." They also do not put two and two together. So they annoy me right back!!! 

I wish people would understand that the short, manicured lawn is really not good for the planet. 

I am trying to cultivate some clover. If I could get it to take over the grass, I would be thrilled!

[Faith-manor]

Here are some photos from the Alabama house. My daughter is living my best life down there! I have included one pic of my totally adorable two year old grandson with the mulberries. She gave me permission to leave it up for at most two hours, and then I need to delete. We are pretty careful with the kiddoes privacy. The strawberries came from her small patch of June bearers who are early because the weather has been so nice. But those are done now. She has all the upick ones frozen and made into freezer jam, so now they just eat off the everbearers as they pop up, mostly the kids. She said it is what impossible for her or son in law to get any because first thing in the morning, N and C run out there and cannibalize them while she and sil are blurry eyed and trying to make coffee! 😂

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Faith-manor

[KungFuPanda]

15 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

My neighbour grizzles at me because I don't mow the nature strip at all between fire seasons. He wants me to think *everyone* is bothered, but the only other people to have ever commented have been positive, so he'll just have to tough it out. This is the guy salting his yard because he's trying to create a desert garden in a place that is a bit more inclined to what he calls weeds and I call biodiversity. Bless him.

But even more, bless the little native bees that live in my catsears over summer. They are allowed on my (not)lawn. 😄

 

I bought a new bush tucker plant this week and am very excited about it! 

I need to do some googling to understand this. 🤣 Nature strip, catsears, bush tucker . . . ?

15 hours ago, Ottakee said:

This weekend at church we had a video by a farmer talking about anxiety and he mentioned he couldn’t get in the fields as they were so wet.  Video was made Wednesday, by Friday he was in the fields.

today I went to plant my garden and it is so dry.   I have very sandy soil by my garden but many farmers just east of me and south of me have clay.

I got some seeds in the ground this morning but had to make a run for it when the rain started AGAIN.  I hope the seeds don’t wash away. 

15 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

All the rain clouds went south of us. Boo. There’s another slight chance overnight. Reaaaaalllly hope it works out. 

Our schools let out three hours early because we now have storms and tornado conditions brewing. Right now it’s alternating between rain and sun. 

6 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Oh, I did. These are the kind of people who only care how things look, not about the environment, and have zero respect for ecological concerns. So I roll my eyes right back at them. The thing is, since we let the back part of the property go rather wild again and are careful these past few years about not mowing much in the spring, we get lots of pollinators. The annoyed people have even mentioned that when out walking they have seen the honeybees on our apple trees, butterflies flitting about, bumblebees on my flowers. They have mentioned, "I don't have any on my lawn." They also do not put two and two together. So they annoy me right back!!! 

I wish people would understand that the short, manicured lawn is really not good for the planet. 

I am trying to cultivate some clover. If I could get it to take over the grass, I would be thrilled!

I have a small strip of grass by the front sidewalk and another patch around my patio. It’s actually a weed/grass/clover mix. I intentionally mixed clover with the seed because it’s really too acidic and shady to expect grass to be happy on its own. I like a little patch of mowed green to frame my ever-growing garden beds/foresty areas. 
 

Nobody complains too much about grass on my street. We’re all in the same boat with the deep woods shade. If a plant can’t be happy in leaf mulch it just won’t make it in my neighborhood. 

[prairiewindmomma]

How do your gardens grow? 

[KungFuPanda]

26 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

How do your gardens grow? 

I found out today that a groundhog has been eating my kale and my son has been just watching him do it. He didn’t say anything because he doesn’t like kale and resents me adding it to his food. 

[fairfarmhand]

It’s looking good. Had three or four days of rain and that perked everything back up. Had to replant some beans that didn’t sprout and my okra, I noticed today that the okra has sprouted. I also put in some herbs. Basil, parsley, pineapple sage. Planted more zinnias and some calendula seeds. Hope they grow well. They’re my favorites for cut flowers. I have one tiny black tomato but some of the others are putting out blossoms. (It’s a variety that’s supposed to be black. 😜)

[Pawz4me]

He has his own YouTube channel --

 

[Loowit]

I had to replant my pumpkin seeds because they didn't germinate.  It has been to cool and wet.  Only one of my sunflower seeds germinated so I replanted those as well.  We got a couple days of a bit of sun, and now rain for the next at least four days.  We'll see if they germinate or not.  I am thinking I should have started them in pots like last year instead on in the ground.

My tomatoes are growing well.  I decided to get them as seedlings this year instead of growing from seeds myself.

My roses are very late to bloom.  Some of them are just starting to open up, but most are just budding now.  Typically they all start blooming big in late April/early May.

I have also decided to try some sweet peas this year, and then figured out I planted them too late in the year, so I am not sure what, if anything, they will do.  It was so cold and wet at the normal planting time I am not sure they would have germinated if I had planted then anyway.

[Pam in CT]

We had a basement plumbing issue which ended up entailing a prodigiously expensive multi-contractor Big Dig to resolve, which resulted in the complete trashing of my largest bed, sigh. So that's a setback.  Also COVID finally caught up with our household -- mercifully nobody's had any scary symptoms, but I'm on Day 5 now of being launched into exhaustion by, say, emptying out the dishwasher, so, that's been another setback.

Nonetheless, I've been harvesting various greens and herbs for several weeks now, my tomatoes are starting to set fruit, my remaining pole beans are starting to curl up their trellises, my eggplants are flowering, and my beets are sending up promising foliage. And my Mountain O Roses is currently in its full glory, which typically only lasts 2 weeks until a hard rain; but mostly-sustains me through the remaining 50 weeks of the year.

 

[prairiewindmomma]

Cold and wet spring here too…neither lettuce or carrots germinated. I lost my zinnias.  Green beans did sprout well, and look lovely. My zucchini went from seed to transplant well. I bought romaine, sugar snap peas and tomatoes and they are happy.

I finally sourced some broad/fava beans to overcrop this winter. I am working on sourcing cloches or a greenhouse or a poly tunnel to grow spinach and other greens this winter as well. Supposedly turnips and beets will be fine overwinter here if I trench for drainage. I am going to give it a go if I can source the seeds—looks like I will need to order online at this point.

My expectations for production are low this year…I am hoping to get soil fertility up quite a bit. I see tons of worms when I dig…but there’s not good aeration going yet.

[Sneezyone]

I am struggling with cabbage moths/caterpillars. Almost as soon as I relocate them, new ones hatch. Fortunately, wasps caught on to this untapped food source and began feasting on the voracious pests. I feel the tide has turned. Nasturtiums paired with tomatoes seem to be keeping pests at bay. I have fruit but none are ripe yet. There’s a lot of foliage tho!! My lettuce is loved by earwigs so that makes harvest time fun. NOT. Everything is growing/settling in well. I had to plant more beans. Transplanting was not the way to go with those. I need to plant some beets. The fam decided they like the way I cook them. I’ve harvested two or three pints of raspberries already. DS makes flavored tea with them. Herbs are thriving. Elephant ears and caladium are visible now (potted with pansies). It’s coming along. For a 1st year install, it feels successful.

[Pam in CT]

SUCH beet fans here.  Three step process / recipes:

1. Plant 3+ beet seeds in each hole, kind of... slung in different parts of the hole, LOL. In my area, all 3 seeds will reliably germinate, a hit rate that is markedly higher than really anything else I try from seed, so, YMMV
2. When they come up and start crowding each other out, thin the largest set of foliage from each hole => one dinner's vegetable out of the greens, very lightly sauteed in olive oil with a bit of garlic. A week later, thin out the larger of the remaining sets of foliage => another dinner's vegetable out of the greens. Allow the last remain plant to come to full size
3. When the Big Bad Beet is visibly straining to jump out of the earth, harvest that single plant (not the whole row). That night, roast the beet with a bit of salt and prepare the greens (just from the one row) as usual but with 1/4 the Big Bad Beet sliced on top, sprinkled with some feta. The following night, serve a cold salad with the remaining 3/4 of the cold roasted beet and slivered almonds on top. Repeat for all other beets when they demand it.

 

In this manner you can generate ~five hundred vegetable dishes out of a single handful of seeds, it is a magic trick.

 

[Sneezyone]

3 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

SUCH beet fans here.  Three step process / recipes:

1. Plant 3+ beet seeds in each hole, kind of... slung in different parts of the hole, LOL. In my area, all 3 seeds will reliably germinate, a hit rate that is markedly higher than really anything else I try from seed, so, YMMV
2. When they come up and start crowding each other out, thin the largest set of foliage from each hole => one dinner's vegetable out of the greens, very lightly sauteed in olive oil with a bit of garlic. A week later, thin out the larger of the remaining sets of foliage => another dinner's vegetable out of the greens. Allow the last remain plant to come to full size
3. When the Big Bad Beet is visibly straining to jump out of the earth, harvest that single plant (not the whole row). That night, roast the beet with a bit of salt and prepare the greens (just from the one row) as usual but with 1/4 the Big Bad Beet sliced on top, sprinkled with some feta. The following night, serve a cold salad with the remaining 3/4 of the cold roasted beet and slivered almonds on top. Repeat for all other beets when they demand it.

 

In this manner you can generate ~five hundred vegetable dishes out of a single handful of seeds, it is a magic trick.

 

DH proclaimed ‘beets taste like dirt!’ Until I roasted them with carrots, salt, sugar, pepper and served them with goat cheese. Now it’s ‘why don’t you roast more beets?’ As a result, I’ll be planting beets in place of Swedes from here on out (altho the Swedes are delish in Cornish pasties).

Edited June 3, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Rosie_0801]

I have a cover crop of clover established, which makes me happy.
My broad beans are also growing happily.
This fourth attempt at growing a choko is progressing well.
We got 40 cabbage white caterpillars off one comfrey plant! Poor thing.

Jonquils are flowering, at least three months early.

[LostSurprise]

It's been an interesting Spring/early Summer. All the Springs plants are late. Then we had 2 super hot days and the Summer seeds popped. Now it's cool again and the peppers, basil, and tomatoes are miserable. I have to replant sunflower, pumpkins, cilantro, and chamomile. 

At least we have lettuce, spinach, and mustard greens, finally. The lettuce is strangely bitter this year, but I like the mustard greens which are a new addition. 

Anyone have some radish advice? They look great! So bushy and big leaves. No real roots. I've only ever had 1 successful radish in the 3 years I've tried to grow them. It's in a box so the soil is fairly loose, they have space, and I don't fertilize. When this lot finishes, I think I'll just grow daikon or rat tail for the seeds and stop trying. 

[Rosie_0801]

9 minutes ago, LostSurprise said:

Anyone have some radish advice? They look great! So bushy and big leaves. No real roots. I've only ever had 1 successful radish in the 3 years I've tried to grow them. It's in a box so the soil is fairly loose, they have space, and I don't fertilize. When this lot finishes, I think I'll just grow daikon or rat tail for the seeds and stop trying. 

Do you eat the seed pods?

[Sneezyone]

20 hours ago, Pawz4me said:

He has his own YouTube channel --

 

My DD made one of these picnic tables for the neighborhood squirrels. We have a lot less this year b/c we cut down the maple tree. My neighbor also traps and relocates them to a local nature reserve area.

Edited June 4, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Miss Tick]

4 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

DH proclaimed ‘beets taste like dirt!’

When I was a kid I always thought beets tasted like dirt. Now that I'm a gardening adult they taste like earth. 😄

[Eos]

Mine is all planted and mostly mulched.  Strawberries are blooming like crazy and I'm gearing up to do battle with the voles that will be coming for them.  I plan to sprinkle or spray cayenne on the foliage soon before the berries set, anyone else have ideas? Picking them unripe is never very satisfactory.

I have tomatoes, garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, kale, lettuces, peas up to my knees and starting to flower, cukes, zucchini, basil, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and delicata squash, sunflowers, chives, nastursiums, marigolds, irises, parsley, cilantro, dill.  Still to plant: beans.  Replant: carrots, beets.  Always there: raspberries, rhubarb, strawberries. Cover crop that is new to me and fun to mess with: buckwheat.

 

[LostSurprise]

16 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Do you eat the seed pods?

Yes, they taste like the root...at least daikon does.

[Lucy the Valiant]

June 7 Update from Zone 5B:

Relieved to see that my hard pruning did not kill the cranberries.

First round of green beans are up; all other rows are planted. 

Have harvested a boat load of rhubarb and asparagus; tried a new no-pectin rhubarb jam with lower sugar, and we all like it! Canned up a couple of batches and will do more as the rhubarb continues to come through June.

Everything is planted & mulched. Blueberries & cherries both look fantastic. Ground cherries all over, and we're leaving them in more places than we usually do. Experimental melons & squashes are climbing up - I'm quite interested in those. Trying "bushel basket" gourds this year, too. 

Researching some medicinal herbs now (does anyone do anything with broad-leaved dock?). 

Flowers: Some of the experiments are doing well, and it's looking to be a banner year for zinnias & peonies & roses. Salpiglossis is new to me, but they're thriving, so that is fun. 

I have a dahlia in a bucket this year. We'll see? 

[prairiewindmomma]

I don't do anything with broad leaf dock other than pull it because it spreads so easily through its prolific seeding. Technically it's edible. It's high in oxalic acid. 

If you're talking about R. obtusifolis (which I know more by the name bitter dock), supposedly you can use the leaves (fresh) to soothe nettle stings and blisters and such. You can dye with it also--but I don't.

I do quite a bit with herbs, but like I said, I just chuck that one into the bin.

[prairiewindmomma]

I harvested some romaine today and replanted a section of the garden.  I had dh till another under, applied a liberal dose of vermiculite to it, and have laid cardboard over it to see if it will be plantable in a couple of months. The soil is just so hard (can barely get a shovel into it) and the lawn keeps wanting to pop back up as grass is rhizome based here. 

The beetles have found my green beans and something has started nibbling on my zucchini. I need to run to the farm store and get some diatomaceous earth.

We're supposed to have another atmospheric river this weekend and temperatures are still in the upper 60s/lower 70s F (18-22C) so my summer heat loving crops have yet to be super happy. 

[Faith-manor]

Just wondering how everyone's endeavors are going. We are having to do a lot of watering as the drought in Michigan is deepening. Thankful for a deep well.

I have cherry tomatoes, romas, and to still is ripening. Peppers and eggplant are coming on very slowly. Broccoli is just beginning to form crowns, tiny crowns. Everything except the tomatoes and tomatillos seem to be behind despite vigilant attention. But, I am optimistic that we will have some things to harvest next month. I have kept my basil going well, and have used it numerous times in pasta sauce. I hope the two plants will do well in a window sill as houseplants this winter because I am spoiled by having fresh, sweet basil at my fingertips.

At the Alabama house, the children have been eating blueberries and strawberries. There has been more frequent rain there on the mountain than here so the green beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, and broccoli are doing just fine, however we are both worried about the heat index and sun intensity this week so we rigged up some beach umbrellas and sheets to provide a little shade and help prevent moisture evaporation. The heavy mulch around the new kiwi plants and the fig is definitely helping. They are small enough that rigging a little afternoon shade was easy since they are planted down by the fence. Son in law is handling that. Dd is doing very well, and her mother in law came to stay for two weeks so I am in Michigan for a break from grandson care. The respite is welcome. At 54, I find that I wear down just a bit trying manage two houses 12 hours apart, homeschooling, and elder care worries for Mark's mother.

We are hoping to find time to build a raised bed down there for salad greens. They eat a lot of salad. Spinach and lettuce will fill the bed.

I have been making kale chips lately and really enjoying it. So I think I might try to grow some next year.

[Sneezyone]

I am fighting late season blight (recent issue) and still haven't been able to control the cabbage-eating moths and their progeny. Sigh. I am enjoying eggplant, squash and cherry tomatoes tho. Basil, peas and edamame, are doing well too. Next year, *ALL* of my brassicas will be behind wire mesh. Only the tomatoes, peppers and lettuce will be in the other bed.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Sneezyone

[itsheresomewhere]

There is a bubble around my house apparently that does not allow it to rain unless it is a spit.  So I am watering twice a day and my rain barrels are just about empty. Broccoli is just about done, carrots look great, cucumbers are looking good, and potatoes are getting big. Lettuce is doing well.  My tomatoes have just started turning red and they are  tasty. My blueberries are almost ready to harvest.  Black raspberries are slowly coming in and so delicious.  I had to tie up my blackberry plants as they are so heavy with berries they fell over.  Second round of strawberries will be ready in a few weeks.  My apples trees are looking delicious.  Can’t wait for apple butter. 

Edited July 11, 2022 by itsheresomewhere

[Melissa in Australia]

Mid winter here. All brassica are growing beautifully. The garden looks particularly lush. Winter gardens grow better here as it doesn't dry out in winter.

We are doubling the veggie garden size. I have already prepped the veggie beds and dh has just about completed the fence. By the end of the week I will be able to start planting. We want to have enough to give to adult children. The cost of veggies here in Australia is insane. Some products have gone up quadruple. Like Broccali $14 kg , potatoes over $3kg and lettuce $10 head. I don't know how people who don't garden can afford to eat greens. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We had a long cool spring and are just getting into summer temperatures. My zucchini and tomatoes are finally flowering, and my sugar snap peas are done. I am blowing through the diatomaceous earth treating the green beans and other things that are getting nibbled on. My kiwi plant never really survived, but my new grape, blueberry and raspberry plants are all happy.

I am watching lumber prices and availability. I really need to make some sort of paired raised beds so I can do arches between the two and increase my growing space vertically. I would also love to poly tunnel through there also for winter to keep growing greens. No luck yet, though. 
 

No raspberry or blueberry picking for us this year. Normally I can pick at the commercial farms for $1.25-1.50/lb. The frost wiped out so many crops this year that what remains is selling at quadruple that. 

[Loowit]

My roses had a huge bloom right at the 4th when family came over for our backyard bbq, so that was nice.  The tomato plants are growing tall and have lots of blooms, but I have yet to see any fruit on them.  The blueberries are just starting to ripen, as are the raspberries.  The strawberries mostly went to the birds.

My poor pumpkins are not doing well.  I had to replant them a couple times.  The first ones never sprouted.  The next ones started to sprout, but then rotted from all the rain.  Finally I got some to sprout.  The sugar pumpkins have their second set up leaves but have been stuck at that stage for over a week.  They are just not growing.  My Baby Boo pumpkins just sprouted last week and still have their first set of leaves.  I fertilized them this morning and am hoping the will all start growing soon.  We are having a lot of warm/hot sunny weather now.

The weeds are doing fabulously.  We have a great "harvest" of what we think is prickly lettuce.  The tallest one is about 7 feet, but most are more in the 5 to 6 foot range.  DH spent a bit of his afternoon yesterday pulling them out.  He is also fighting the dandelions (his archenemy) and thistles.

I am going to try to replant for the third or fourth time some sunflower seeds tomorrow when it is cooler (it is almost 94 today), hoping for a fall bloom.  None of them are coming up.  I thought one had, but my mom said it is just a weed.  I was pretty bummed about that, but I am leaving it just in case she is wrong.